What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry?

. This is a discussion on What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry? within Gadgets and More. Part of The Member’s Lounge category; Micromax Canvas Evok with Snapdragon 415 SoC, 3GB RAM launched for Rs 8,499: Specifications, features
Soon after announcing the new ...

Soon after announcing the new logo and motto last month, Micromax also revealed its plans of launching more than 14 devices, including the Canvas 6 and the Canvas 6 Pro. Now, the company has launched a new budget smartphone called the Canvas Evok. Priced at Rs 8,499, the smartphone will exclusively be available via Flipkart starting May 17.

Micromax Canvas Evok specifications and features: The smartphone features a 5.5-inch HD (720p) display with 2.5D arc front glass and covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 415 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz. It is paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage.

In the photography department, the Canvas Evok is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with 5-element lens and LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing selfie camera. Armed with a 3,000mAh battery, connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. On the software front, it runs on Android Lollipop 5.1 OS.

At this price point, the smartphone go heads on with the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus, which features a 5-inch full HD (1080p) display as opposed to 5.5-inch HD display on the Canvas Evoke. The Vibe K5 Plus is powered by a 64-bit Snapdragon 616-octa core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage, which is expandable via a microSD card.

Sony has expanded its Xperia X series of smartphones with the launch of the Xperia XA Ultra. The smartphone is listed on the company's global website and Sony has already confirmed that a global release of the Xperia XA Ultra is planned.

The company has not revealed pricing or availability details of the new Sony Xperia XA Ultra smartphone but can be expected to be announced around local launch.

The biggest highlight of the Xperia XA Ultra is its front 16-megapixel front camera which packs Sony Exmor R for Mobile sensor and also included front-facing flash. The front camera includes features such as OIS (optical image stabilisation), auto-focus, wide angle lens (up to 88 degrees), and HDR photo. The single-SIM (Nano SIM) Xperia XA Ultra features a 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) and sports Mobile BRAVIA engine 2, another notable feature of the handset.

Soon after adding the Desire 830 to its portfolio, HTC has silently launched a smartphone under its Desire series. Called the HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM, the smartphone is listed on the company’s Vietnam website. The listing reveals all the important details of the smartphone. The HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM comes in two colors- white with blue frame and black with red frame over the body. The company has not yet revealed pricing and availability details of the new smartphone.

HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM specifications and features: The smartphone flaunts a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display with a pixel density of 294ppi. Under the hood the smartphone runs 1.3 GHz octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. Also on offer is a 32GB internal storage which can be further expandable to a whopping 2TB via a microSD card.

On the camera front, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and LED flash, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.4 aperture and supports shooting full HD videos. On the connectivity front the smartphone comes with dual SIM, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Desire 628 Dual SIM comes with 2,200mAh battery with fast charging support.

Additionally the Desire 628 Dual SIM also has a dual front firing speakers powered by HTC BoomSound which was even spotted in the recently launched Desire 830. What is worth noticing is that the features of the HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM are almost the same as that of the latest launched Desire 830. The differences can only be spotted in size, processor, and camera. While the Desire 830 is priced at NT $9,990 (Rs 20,500 approximately, there is no word on the availability of the Desire 628 Dual SIM.

Gionee had launched the Marathon M5 Plus in China in December last year. About six months after the China launch, the company has has launched the Marathon M5 Plus in India. Priced at Rs 26,999, the smartphone is available online exclusively via Flipkart, and is also available across its retail outlets offline. The smartphone comes in two color variants – champagne gold and polar gold.

As is the case with Gionee’s Marathon series, the talking point of the Marathon M5 Plus is its large 5,020 mAh battery, which the company says can give up to 21 hours of talktime and a standby time of up to 619 hours. The smartphone comes with a dual charge technology, which the company claims prevents from overheating and enables fast charging.

The Marathon M5 Plus also features a fingerprint sensor embedded into the physical home button. The smartphone also supports 4G and VoLTE features which is another key feature of the smartphone.

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus specifications and features: The Marathon M5 Plus features a 6-inch full-HD (1920×1080 pixels) AMOLED display with 2.5D glass. The smartphone is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. Also on offer is 64GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card.

On the photography front the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. On the connectivity front, options like dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE and VoLTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB Type-C port are included. The phone has three inbuilt card slot design. The smartphone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop wrapped under Amigo 3.1 UI.

The Gionee Marthon M5 Plus is an upgraded variant of the Marathon M5, which was launched in India in November last year. The Gionee Marathon M5 has a 5.5-inch 720p AMOLED display. It is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with 32GB of internal storage and supports microSD slot for additional storage.

Coolpad has launched its flagship smartphone in India, the Coolpad Max, priced at Rs. 24,999. It will be available exclusively from Amazon India from 12pm May 30 in Rose Gold and Royal Gold colours.

The Coolpad Max runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop overlaid with the company's CoolUI 8.0. The smartphone has dual-SIM dual-standby capabilities which means that the user could use both the SIM cards at the same time.

Apart from having dual-SIM and dual standby support, the smartphone also offers a 'Dual in One' system. It sports a separate external system and a secure, encrypted internal system. This enables Dual Spaces, with one section for office apps and the other for personal apps. It also bears a fingerprint sensor on the back panel that is claimed to work with wet fingers as well.

Talking about the specifications, the Coolpad Max has a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display with pixel density of 401ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered by the 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 617 SoC - an upgrade over the Snapdragon 615 on the China variant.

Intex has launched its new 4G-enabled smartphone Aqua Secure in India. Priced at Rs. 6,499, the smartphone will be available via retail stores, and e-commerce websites across the country.

The Intex Aqua Secure sports matte finish back cover and will be available in Golden and Grey colours. The company says that the Aqua Secure is the first smartphone in the company's lineup to sport a fingerprint scanner, which is housed on the back panel.

The Aqua Secure supports 4G LTE bands in India - FDD-LTE Band 3 (1800MHz) and TDD-LTE Band 40 (2300MHz). Both handsets also support VoLTE (voice over LTE) with HD voice call compatibility.

The dual-SIM supporting Aqua Secure smartphone features a 4.5-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) display and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. The company says both SIM slots are 4G enabled; though, at one time only one SIM can use 4G while the other will work on 3G/ 2G. The handset is powered by a 1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735M SoC clubbed with 1GB of RAM. It packs 8GB of inbuilt storage and supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB).

*The highlight of the smartphone is its large 4000mAh battery.
*The company is bundling a screenguard along with the phone.
*Eluga A2 bears a 5-inch HD display, and a 1GHz quad-core SoC.

Panasonic India on Thursday launched a new smartphone in India, the Eluga A2, priced at Rs. 9,490. The highlight of the smartphone is its large 4000mAh battery, and voice over LTE (VoLTE) support. It will be available in Gold and Silver colour variants.

The dual-SIM Panasonic Eluga A2 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with the company's FitHome UI on top, and bears a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixel display). It is powered by a 1GHz quad-core SoC, coupled with 3GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

"With ELUGA A2, we aim to deliver maximum experience to our customers with a phone packed with features. Our new smartphone is a 4G VoLTE device with 3GB RAM and 4,000 mAh battery, thus, providing a better solution to consumers who want long operational hours on a 4G VoLTE," Pankaj Rana, business head (mobility division), Panasonic India, said in a statement.

Alongside the smartphone, Panasonic India is also bundling a protective screenguard as a free accessory worth Rs. 399.

The company earlier this month launched new models of the Panasonic Eluga I2 in 2GB RAM and 3GB RAM variants, priced at Rs. 7,990 and Rs. 8,990 respectively

*The highlight of the Galaxy C5 is its 16-megapixel camera.
*It sports a hybrid dual-SIM slot, and comes in two storage variants.
*It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core SoC.

As expected, Samsung on Thursday launched its first Galaxy C-Series smartphone - the Galaxy C5. The smartphone has been launched in China in 32GB and 64GB variants, priced at CNY 2,199 and CNY 2,399 respectively. The metal-clad smartphone is up for pre-orders in China, and will go on sale in the first week of June.

The Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based Samsung Galaxy C5 sports a 5.2-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) Super Amoled display, and supports two SIM cards in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC, with four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz, and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.2GHz, coupled with 4GB of RAM.

The new Samsung smartphone bears a 16-megapixel rear autofocus camera with flash module and f/1.9 aperture, apart from a 8-megapixel front facing camera sporting the same aperture and a flash module. It comes in 32GB and 64GB inbuilt storage options that are expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). The Galaxy C5 supports 4G LTE networks on only one SIM, and the China variant is also listed to support 4G LTE variants in India.

Other connectivity options on the Galaxy C5 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, and Micro-USB. It is powered by a 2600mAh battery that rated to deliver up to 237 hours of standby time on 4G. It measures 145.9x72x6.7mm, and weighs in at 143 grams.

The Galaxy C5 bears a fingerprint sensor on the home button. Other onboard sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and a magnetometer.

ZTE has added a new flagship smartphone to its portfolio. Calling it the Axon 7, the device has been made available for pre-orders in the Chinese market, and will be available for purchase online and retail stores on June 2. The smartphone should make its way to US shores soon as well, like the previous generation.

The Axon 7 is available in three variants - Basic, Standard, and Premium. The Basic variant is priced at CNY 2,899(roughly Rs. 29,600), the Standard at CNY 3,299 (roughly Rs.33,800), and Premium at CNY 4,099 (roughly Rs. 42,000). The Premium variant comes with a Force Touch pressure sensitive display.

Coming to the specs, the ZTE Axon 7 dons an aluminium unibody, and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MiFavor UI 4.0 on top. It supports hybrid dual-SIM, and features a 5.5-inch QHD Super Amoled display. It is powered by the 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) quad-core SoC with Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB RAM.

On the camera front, the ZTE Axon 7 has a 20-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, and OIS+ EIS+ PDAF. It captures 4K video at 30fps, and slow motion is captured at 720p at 240fps/480p at 300fps. The selfie camera is at 8-megapixel. Onboard, there is 64GB of inbuilt storage, which can be extended via microSD card (up to 128GB).

It packs a 3140mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. The company claims that the battery can last up to 16 hours of talktime, and 360 hours of standby time. The Quick Charge feature can recharge the Axon 7 up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes. Connectivity options include USB Type-C port, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE. The fingerprint sensor is at the back of the smartphone.

ZTE is betting big on the audio output of the Axon 7. It houses dual speakers, M-Base support material, and claims to bring high fidelity sound performance. ZTE has even made renowned pianist Lang Lang as the brand ambassador of its Axon series.

The company announced that the Axon 7 will receive the Android N update, when it arrives later in the year, and will support Google's DayDream VR. Alongside the Axon 7, the company even unveiled the ZTE VR headset, but said little about the availability and tech details. The headset is priced at CNY 518 (roughly Rs. 5,300).

Apologies for very late reply - Completly forget that I made a post in this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhvm

I took a look at redmi note as Well. at 5.5 inch it could be a bit large for my wife. or maybe she'll like it. her current phone is lava 5 inch.

does redmi note 3 support all kinds of sensors as full fledged phones?

also I've heard that it's difficult to use USB data transfer on these. that will be a deal braker.

From a 5 inch display to 5.5 inch 1080p is perfect upgrade I believe - I test all the GPS/Wi-Fi/Mobile Data (3G / H+) all are working fine so far.

Mine is 32 GB variant and I also add 32 GB Micro SD and load some music file via USB cable, also transfer Picture / Video from the phone To PC - Issue is NIL.
Also use my Fiio E17k DAC with USB OTG (DAC) mode to drive Higher ohm rating Headphone all are fine nothing to complain.

*Sony India has launched the dual-SIM variants of the X-Series.
*The smartphones have gone up for pre-booking in India.
*The smartphones will become available later in June.

Sony on Monday has launched its Xperia X series of smartphones in India, with the Sony Xperia X Dual and Sony Xperia XA Dual. The Xperia X Dual (seen below) has been priced at Rs. 48,990, and will be available from June 7; while the Xperia XA Dual (seen above) has been priced at Rs. 20,990, and will be available from the third week of June. There is no word of the Sony Xperia X Performance Dual, which was launched alongside at MWC 2016.

The two Xperia X-Series smartphones have gone up for pre-booking via the Amazon.com, and authorised Sony retailers across the country.

Sony is also touting launch offers with the two smartphones, specifically, Rs. 2,700 worth of free content in the form of a three-month subscription to Son Liv, a three-month subscription to Hungama Play, and Kindle ebooks worth Rs. 1,000. The Xperia X Dual will come bundled with Gameloft games alongside free credits worth Rs. 780.

The Sony Xperia XA Dual features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display powered by Mobile Bravia engine 2. It is powered by a MediaTek MT6755 coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. Like the Xperia X, the Xperia XA Dual also supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 200GB). The Android 6.0 Marshmallow smartphone sports a 13-megapixel camera with Exmor RS for mobile sensor, hybrid autofocus, and LED flash. It also houses an 8-megapixel front camera. It is backed by a 2300mAh battery, measures 143.6x66.8x7.9mm, and weighs 138 grams

Bringing speculations to an end, Israeli start-up Sirin Labs has officially unveiled its high-end $14,000 (over Rs 9 lakh) Android smartphone that promises chip-to-chip 256-bit encryption similar to what the military uses to protect communications. Dubbed as the ‘Rolls Royce of smartphones’, the device called Solarin is activated via a physical security switch on the back and was launched on Tuesday at an event in London, venturebeat.com reported.

Solarin packs in Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, promises “far superior” Wi-Fi connectivity, has a 23.8MP rear camera and a 5.5 inch IPS LED 2K resolution screen. For the Solarin promises “the most advanced privacy technology, currently unavailable outside the agency world”, Sirin Labs has joined hands with communication security firm KoolSpan. According to Sirin Labs, it wanted to “create the most advanced mobile device that combined the highest privacy settings, operated faster than any other phone, built with the best materials from around the world.”

“Cyberattacks are endemic across the globe. This trend is on the increase. Solarin is pioneering new, uncompromising privacy measures to provide customers with greater confidence and the reassurance necessary to handle business-critical information,” Tal Cohen, CEO and cofounder of Sirin Labs, was quoted as saying. “Every single design decision and material choice was based on performance and functionality,” added Fredrik Öijer, vice president (products) at Sirin Labs.

The device for the rich and famous is available at Sirin Labs’ first retail store in Mayfair (34 Bruton Place), London from June 1 and at Harrods, Knightsbridge from June 30. The luxury smartphone is not a new phenomenon. In 2006, Nokia launched a $310,000 “Signature Cobra” device in 2006 and the $5,000 “Constellation” smartphone in 2011. In 2012, Nokia dropped luxury-phone brand maker Vertu. After leaving Nokia, Vertu brought its first Android device “Vertu Ti” to market.

According to media reports, the smartphone was priced at a whopping Rs 6,49,990 in India. It has dual-core 1.7GHz processor along with 1GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. According to Vertu, its smartphones have 184 individual parts. The body is made by Grade 5 titanium, and has a set of Bang and Olufsen stereo speakers. The sapphire crystal renders the screen virtually scratch-proof and it is tested to be four times stronger than other smartphones in terms of impact resistance, it had claimed. Vertu was later acquired from Swedish private equity group EQT by a consortium of Chinese investors.

Of late I've been seeing a new trend. The "Reputed Manufacturers" are coming out with really not so great phones and the really nice phones are from some unknown Chinese manufacturers. They come up with one or two good phones and then another manufacturer pops up. Only Xiaomi seems to be really moving towards becoming a mainstream manufacturer.

LG had announced its latest flagship smartphone, the G5, for the Indian market last week, which went on sale via Flipkart today. While the LG G5 comes with the top-of-the-line specifications, the key highlight of the smartphone is its modular functionality, which allows users to swap out the modules. The LG G5 will take on other flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and HTC 10. We pitted these smartphones based on their price, specifications and features, and here’s how they compare.

Price: LG’s modular G5 smartphone will set you back by Rs 52,990, and it is available for purchase via Flipkart. The e-commerce site is also offering an exchange bonus of up to Rs 15,000, which further brings down the cost to Rs 37,989. The smartphone will be offered in three different colors – gold, silver and titan.

The HTC 10 is also priced at Rs 52,990 and will be available for purchase starting June 5. Samsung’s Galaxy S7, on the other hand, is priced at Rs 48,900, which is a good Rs 4,090 cheaper than LG G5 and HTC 10. The Galaxy S7 can be purchased from online and offline retailers.

Design: Being the flagship smartphones, all three manufacturers have heavily focused on the design. To differentiate its smartphone from the crowd, LG has gone ahead with a modular design, something which none of its rival smartphones are offering. It sports a metal back and a removable bottom section. Users can swap out the bottom and replace with different modules called ‘LG Friends’. These modules include options like a camera grip with dedicated shutter release, video and zoom buttons, a battery pack, Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play speakers, LG Rolling Robot, LG 360 CAM and a Rolling Bot, a camera that can roll like a ball to capture photos and videos. However, it is not clear when these would be launched in India. At the moment, we can only see the camera accessory, which is priced at Rs 6,500 on Flipkart.

HTC has continued with its inspiring design with an all metal unibody frame in the HTC 10. The front panel with a 2.5D curved glass and the metal back adds to its aesthetics. Samsung’s Galaxy S7, on the other hand, comes with an improved design compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S6. The Galaxy S7 comes with a metal frame along with front and back glass design. The front also has 2.5D curved glass – all of which adds to its premium look and feel. The Galaxy S7 is the only smartphone that offers water and dust resistant capabilities.

Display: The LG G5 flaunts a 5.3-inch QHD (2560×1440pixels) IPS display with ‘Daylight’ mode that can boost its brightness all the way up to 850nits. There is also ‘Always On’ display that shows time, calendar and notifications even when the screen is off. The Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, along with the similar ‘Always On’ feature. The HTC 10, on the other hand, flaunts a 5.2-inch QHD Super LCD 5 display, but lacks the ‘Always On’ feature.

Chipset, RAM and storage: Both the LG G5 and HTC 10 are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor paired with Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB of RAM. In India, Samsung has introduced the variant that runs on its Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM. On the storage front, all three smartphones come with 32GB onboard storage along with a microSD card slot for further expansion.

Cameras: In the photography department, LG has equipped the G5 with a dual-camera setup at the back – a 16-megapixel 78-degree lens and an 8-megapixel 135-degree wide angle lens. With an aperture of f/2.0, PDAF, and LED flash, the camera is also capable of recording 4K videos. For selfie lovers, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera is also present.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 sports a new 12-megapixel rear snapper with dual pixel technology. It has an aperture of f/1.7 and features such as PDAF, optical image stabilization and a pixel sensor of 1.4um to ensure good low light performance. Support for 4K video recording and slow motion capture is also present. A front-facing 5-megapixel camera of aperture f/1.7 for selfies and video calling is also present.

For the HTC 10, the Taiwanese company has gone with a 12-UltraPixel rear camera of aperture f/1.8 along with optical image stabilization (OIS), laser auto-focus, and 4K video recording capabilities. On the front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie camera of aperture f/1.8, which also comes with auto-focus and OIS functionality.

Battery: The LG G5 and HTC 10 are equipped with 2,800mAh and 3,000mAh batteries respectively. Both smartphones also include Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 feature that can charge the battery from 0-50 percent in 30 minutes. The Galaxy S7, on the other hand, sports a 3,000mAh battery with support for fast charging and wireless fast charging.

Connectivity: In terms of connectivity, all three smartphones include the same options -4G LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and GPS.The Galaxy S7 also includes dual-SIM card slots, something that is missing from the others. And while the Galaxy S7 comes with a popular microUSB port for charging and data transfer, the HTC 10 and LG G5 come with the new USB Type-C port.

Operating system: While all three smartphones run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, they come with respective custom skin running atop. LG has its own custom UI, HTC 10 has a layer of Sense 8 UI whereas Samsung has its TouchWiz UI running on top.

Miscellaneous features: The LG G5 is equipped with a fingerprint scanner at the back for biometric authentication, whereas the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10 have the fingerprint scanners placed on the front, embedded inside the home button.

HTC, on the other hand, has once again worked on the audio chops. While the dual frontal speakers are missing this time around, the earpiece and the bottom has speakers powerful enough to offer loud audio output, HTC says. It is equipped with the new Boomsound Hi-Fi edition speaker with Dolby Audio support. HTC has also worked to deliver 24-bit Hi-Res audio recording capabilities, which it claims to offer much clearer audio capture than standard recording.

On paper, all three smartphones have flagship worthy hardware and unique features targeted towards different audience. Based on the price and our experience with the Galaxy S7, it clearly has an edge over the competition. However, we will reserve our judgment until we have reviewed the HTC 10 and LG G5.